This six-part documentary series on three discs takes an in-depth look at World War II through the eyes of those who lived through it: the soldiers, the victims, and the political and military leaders. More so than most war documentaries, this series focuses on the effect of the war on civilian populations, whose casualty rate far exceeded military losses during the war. The documentary makes use of archival film—much of it previously unseen—including colorized footage of U.S. battleships burning at Pearl Harbor and Japanese pilots ditching their planes in the ocean after their carriers had been sunk at the Battle of Midway.